Antennal lobe organisation in ant, Oecophylla smaragdina: A Golgi study

OBPs play a crucial role in the recognition of ligands and are involved in the initial steps of semiochemical perception. The diverse expression of OBP genes allows them to participate in different physiological functions in insects. In contrast to classic OBPs with typical olfactory roles in A. lineolatus, the physiological functions of Plus-C OBPs remain largely unknown. In addition, detection of the expression of insect OBP genes by conventional methods is difficult in vitro. Here, we focused on AlinOBP14, a Plus-C OBP from A. lineolatus, and we developed a PNA-GO-based mRNA biosensor to detect the expression of AlinOBP14. The results demonstrated that AlinOBP14 plays dual roles in A. lineolatus. The AlinOBP14 is expressed beneath the epidermis of the vertex and gena in heads of A. lineolatus, and it functions as a carrier for three terpenoids, while AlinOBP14 is also expressed in the peripheral antennal lobe and functions as a carrier for endogenous compounds such as precursors for juvenile hormone (JH) and JHⅢ. Our investigation provides a new method to detect the expression of OBP genes in insects, and the technique will facilitate the use of these genes as potential targets for novel insect behavioral regulation strategies against the pest.

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A Golgi Study of Neurons in the Camel Cerebellum ( Camelus Dromedarius )

The Anatomical Record ◽

10.1002/ar.24742 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Saleh M. Al‐Hussain ◽

Mustafa S. Yousuf ◽

Ayat Bani Hani ◽

Sami Zaqout ◽

Laiche Djouhri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Camelus Dromedarius ◽

Golgi Study

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Nutritional analysis, volatile composition, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of Australian green ants (Oecophylla smaragdina)

Future Foods ◽

10.1016/j.fufo.2020.100007 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

pp. 100007

Author(s):

Shanmugam Alagappan ◽

Mridusmita Chaliha ◽

Yasmina Sultanbawa ◽

Steve Fuller ◽

Louwrens  C. Hoffman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antioxidant Properties ◽

Oecophylla Smaragdina ◽

Volatile Composition ◽

Nutritional Analysis

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Olfactory coding in the antennal lobe of the bumble bee Bombus terrestris

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-90400-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Marcel Mertes ◽

Julie Carcaud ◽

Jean-Christophe Sandoz

Keyword(s):

Honey Bees ◽

Antennal Lobe ◽

Bombus Terrestris ◽

Bumble Bees ◽

Foraging Strategies ◽

Bumble Bee ◽

Carbon Chain Length ◽

Olfactory Coding ◽

Major Transitions

AbstractSociality is classified as one of the major transitions in evolution, with the largest number of eusocial species found in the insect order Hymenoptera, including the Apini (honey bees) and the Bombini (bumble bees). Bumble bees and honey bees not only differ in their social organization and foraging strategies, but comparative analyses of their genomes demonstrated that bumble bees have a slightly less diverse family of olfactory receptors than honey bees, suggesting that their olfactory abilities have adapted to different social and/or ecological conditions. However, unfortunately, no precise comparison of olfactory coding has been performed so far between honey bees and bumble bees, and little is known about the rules underlying olfactory coding in the bumble bee brain. In this study, we used in vivo calcium imaging to study olfactory coding of a panel of floral odorants in the antennal lobe of the bumble bee Bombus terrestris. Our results show that odorants induce reproducible neuronal activity in the bumble bee antennal lobe. Each odorant evokes a different glomerular activity pattern revealing this molecule’s chemical structure, i.e. its carbon chain length and functional group. In addition, pairwise similarity among odor representations are conserved in bumble bees and honey bees. This study thus suggests that bumble bees, like honey bees, are equipped to respond to odorants according to their chemical features.

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